Why Health IT Vendors Need To Do More To Meet The Interoperability Requirements Of Meaningful Use

By Mark Heaney, CEO, Get Real Health

Recently I joined other health IT vendors to testify before the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT’s Health Information Technology Policy Committee about interoperability and health information exchange. As all of us who work in this industry know, interoperability is a key requirement of Meaningful Use (MU) certification, and with good reason: the easier it is for providers to exchange patient health information electronically, the more cost savings the system will see and the better care patients will receive.

MU is fundamentally successful because it pushes provider organizations to implement a technology many of them have been wanting to implement for years, but, without a mandate, couldn’t prioritize. With MU requirements looming, that’s changing. Yet it’s important to note that, currently, there’s really no “stick” forcing hospitals and other providers to implement health information exchange systems—but they’re doing it anyway. That’s because they recognize the non-regulatory benefits of adopting MU practices even before they’re required, namely better patient care.

But our industry is falling short when it comes to meeting their needs.

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